Rail Services: Carshalton and Wallington

Opened the debate

The MP is concerned about the limited rail service in his constituency, despite its location within a London borough. The PTAL of the area is only 2, with some parts ranking at level 1 or even zero. During peak times, trains are often at capacity before reaching local stations, leading to overcrowding and discomfort for commuters. There are frequent cancellations due to broken trains, lack of drivers, or signalling faults. Additionally, there are issues related to outdated infrastructure preventing the metroisation of suburban rail services in London, and a bottleneck problem at the Selhurst junction which affects train timetables.

Government Response

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dame Maria. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Carshalton and Wallington for securing this important debate on rail services in his constituency. Over the past few months, there have been encouraging signs that passengers' confidence in our railway is beginning to be restored; nationally, passenger numbers show signs of improvement, and revenue generated across the industry averages around 90% of what was generated in equivalent weeks in 2019. The pandemic has caused unprecedented change in passenger travel habits, with many now adopting a hybrid approach to working from home and travelling at different times to avoid peaks. This means it is difficult to make like-for-like comparisons with pre-pandemic levels. My Department has been working with operators to ensure that they provide rail services that respond to new passenger travel patterns, are fit for the future, and carefully balance cost, capacity and performance. The Government have earmarked £16 billion of funding for rail services since the start of the pandemic, but this is clearly unsustainable in the long term. Services must be balanced to meet current demand. In Carshalton and Wallington constituency, off-peak and peak passenger use remains below pre-pandemic levels; the September 2022 timetable change saw the Monday to Friday off-peak and weekend service from Carshalton to London Victoria via Mitcham Junction reduced from four trains per hour to two, reflecting demand. Weekday peak services remain at four trains per hour with no May 2023 changes, but Epsom to London Bridge route will predominantly run as a four or five-carriage formation off-peak on weekdays and weekends, reflecting demand. Peak services continue to operate with eight or 10 carriages. The Department closely monitors levels of short-notice cancellations and service delays; GTR retains focus on continuing improving trend and delivering the reliability that customers expect and deserve. Infrastructure upgrades, including Brighton main line upgrade programme, are under review due to economic context requiring affordable schemes responding to changes in demand for travel. Digital signalling is being rolled out on London North Eastern Railway and Network Rail considers conversion to digital signalling on Brighton main line as part of its renewals process for control period 7; I will bring further news as available. The Access for All programme supports step-free accessible routes at over 220 stations, with smaller-scale access improvements at 1,500 more stations and over 300 nominations assessed by Network Rail for future awards including Carshalton Beeches station. Regarding the larger-than-usual gap between platform and front of train at Hackbridge station, Network Rail is actively considering a full renewal of the platform to reduce the gap; I thank Elliot Colburn for bringing this matter to our attention. Finally on ULEZ expansion, if I were Mayor of London, which would be unlikely given that I am an East Sussex MP, I would not expand the ultra low emission zone due to financial impact on drivers and visitors to London, impacting cash barriers around London will have on London as a whole and businesses in London.